The International Maritime Bureau's (IMB) latest quarterly report on Piracy and Armed Robbery Against Ships recorded a total of 67 incidents of piracy worldwide in the first three months of 2010.
Twenty-six vessels were boarded, 18 were fired upon, there were twelve attempted attacks and eleven vessels were hijacked.
A total of 194 crewmembers were taken hostage with twelve injured.
More than half of these recorded incidents can be attributed to Somali pirates, who were responsible for 35 incidents, including nine hijackings. Attacks by Somali pirates were reported off the coast of Oman in the Arabian Sea, and have extended as far south as the Mozambique Channel, approximately 775 nautical miles from Mogadishu. Somali pirates are also operating in the Indian Ocean, where a bulk carrier was hijacked some 670 nautical miles east of Socotra.
"The diverse location of the attacks demonstrates the increased range and capabilities of the Somali pirates," IMB Director Captain Mukundan said
"Attacks so distant from the Somali coast can only be facilitated with the use of mother ships. There have been a number of recent examples where the navies in the Indian Ocean have disrupted suspected pirates, destroyed their boats and confiscated
equipment. Such positive and robust action by the navies against mother ships, pirate skiffs and pirate action groups has been vital to keeping the attacks under control and must be sustained."
The east and south coasts of Somalia recorded 18 incidents, including five vessels hijacked and eleven fired upon in the first quarter of this year. This is compared with 21 incidents including four vessels hijacked and eleven fired upon for the corresponding period in 2009. There has been a reduction in the number of attacks compared to the last quarter of 2009 where 33 attacks and 13 hijackings were reported. This decrease in attacks could be due to the specific naval targeting in addition to the monsoons in the area, which weakened towards the end of February and beginning of March.
In the first quarter of 2010, within the Gulf of Aden and the adjacent sea areas of Red Sea and Arabian Sea, 17 incidents were reported including four vessels being hijacked. This is a dramatic decline when compared with the 41 incidents, including five hijacked vessels, which transpired in the first quarter of 2009. This marked reduction can be attributed to the continued presence of the navies in the Gulf of Aden along with the robust anti-piracy measures adopted by the merchant navy fleet.
In other African waters, only two incidents were reported in Nigeria although violence towards crew still remains high in this area. In one of the two reported incidents, two crew members were injured and had to be taken ashore for medical treatment.
Elsewhere, a rise in incidents was cited in Indonesia, which recorded the highest number of first quarter incidents the country has seen in two years. It should be noted that while the volume of events has risen, many were low level attacks against vessels at anchor or at berth. In Indonesia, serious incidents of piracy, including armed robbery, have reduced year over year since 2003.
In the late 1980s and 1990s, these were among the world's most dangerous waters, but steps taken by the Indonesian authorities have been effective in reducing acts of violent piracy. Nonetheless, due regard and caution should be exercised while transiting these waters, the IMB cautioned.
In the first quarter of 2010, no incidents were reported in the Malacca and Singapore Straits, and only one incident was reported off the coast of Bangladesh.
"The IMB provides daily broadcasts to Ship Masters, including essential information on the level of risk in specific waters. Accurate and immediate reporting of all acts of piracy, successful or not, is vital to protection of vessels and crew," said Captain Mukundan.
"The IMB encourages the shipping industry to report all acts of piracy to the organisation's Piracy Reporting Centre in Kuala Lumpur. Information-sharing and raising awareness is critical to combating any act of crime, including piracy."
Reported incidents of piracy are promptly passed by the IMB to the appropriate law enforcement agencies and governments. The severity of the problem is then analysed on a local basis and the appropriate courses of action are taken.
